‘Margaret Thatcher’s legacy is alive and will stay with us on condition that we keep it alive. Much to my regret, today’s political reality, the current intellectual climate, as well as the public mood, have moved very far from her views and her era.’
January’s political developments reinforced Fidesz–KDNP’s clear lead ahead of Hungary’s 2026 elections, while the Tisza Party struggled to set the agenda, according to the latest analysis by the Center for Fundamental Rights.
A Budapest court has sentenced German Antifa terrorist Maja T, born Simeon T, to eight years in prison for his role in the 2023 street assaults that left several people seriously injured. Prosecutors described the attacks as coordinated ideological violence, while far-left activists protested the ruling, framing the closely watched case as politically motivated.
The Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal is not a legitimate body. To discuss the decision’s implications for Member States soveringnty, Marcin Romanowski, President of the Hungarian–Polish Institute of Freedom, Former Minister of Justice Zbigniew Ziobro of Poland, and Polish constitutional law expert Oskar Kida held a joint press conference in Budapest.
Hungarian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó condemned the detention of ethnic Hungarian politician Örs Orosz by Slovak police during a protest against the Beneš decrees in Bratislava, stressing that Hungary rejects the principle of collective guilt and will continue to raise the issue with the Slovak government.
Hungarian officials have condemned the death of 46-year-old Zsolt Rebán, an ethnic Hungarian and EU citizen who collapsed after being forcibly conscripted by Ukrainian authorities despite a documented heart condition. His death has intensified Budapest’s criticism of Kyiv’s mobilization practices and further strained already tense Hungarian–Ukrainian relations.
Masked Antifa-linked extremists armed with improvized weapons clashed with Italian police in Turin, resulting in multiple injuries and arrests. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned the violence and urged the courts to hold the perpetrators accountable. The events in Turin are yet another example of increasingly aggressive far-left political violence that many Western countries have to confront in order to maintain stability.
Liberal-progressive Renew Europe has leapt to the defence of Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony after Hungarian prosecutors charged him over organizing the banned 2025 Pride march. Framing the case as a political attack on ‘European values’, Renew leaders accused Budapest of authoritarianism—escalating tensions just weeks before Hungary’s parliamentary election.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has fiercely rejected a POLITICO Brussels report claiming he questioned Donald Trump’s mental health during last week’s EU summit, calling the story a fabrication built on anonymous leaks. Fico said he made no such remarks, accused the outlet of spreading deliberate lies, and warned of a broader effort to discredit leaders pursuing independent foreign policies.
Donald Trump’s Board of Peace is not merely a new diplomatic forum, but a deliberate attempt to replace the United Nations’ paralysed conflict-resolution role. Designed to bypass vetoes and institutional capture, the initiative could weaken China’s leverage at the UN and drive Moscow away from Beijing.